miss
To fail to hit, catch, grasp, etc.
Verb 4 meanings
To fail to hit, catch, grasp, etc.
“I fired the gun, but the bullet missed the target.”
To avoid hitting.
“The driver swerved and just managed to miss the chicken crossing the road.”
To fail to achieve or attain.
“The company missed all its sales targets.”
To fail to experience, attend, partake, take advantage of, etc.
“Joe missed the meeting this morning.”
Noun 4 meanings
A failure to physically hit.
“In eight shots at the target he had six misses.”
A failure to obtain or accomplish something; a failure to succeed.
“After four top-ten singles, the band's next release was a miss.”
An act of avoidance (usually used with the verb give).
“I think I’ll give the meeting a miss.”
Someone or something whose loss or absence is felt.
“Top striker Smith is out injured and will be a big miss for United.”
Etymology
Verb from Middle English missen, from Old English missan (“to miss, escape the notice of a person”), from Proto-West Germanic *missijan, from Proto-Germanic *missijaną (“to miss, go wrong, fail”), from Proto-Indo-European *meyth₂- (“to change, exchange, trade”).
Similar and opposite words
MISS at a glance
MISS has 4 letters and scores 6 points in Scrabble (M 3 + I 1 + S 1 + S 1) and 7 in Words With Friends, before board bonuses. It ranks #579 by how often it appears in everyday English. It is valid in ENABLE, NWL2023, Collins/SOWPODS.
Rhymes with miss
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